


Shifts

by mrratburn



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Reunions, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:09:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrratburn/pseuds/mrratburn
Summary: Maybe everything will be different now. Maybe this isn’t the Troy that Abed remembers. But his hugs feel the same - one hand moving up and down Abed’s back, the other gripping the back of his neck, enveloping as much of Abed as possible and applying enough pressure to make him feel secure. So, for just a moment, Abed forgets all that could go wrong and relaxes into Troy's touch.When Troy returns, he and Abed learn how to navigate their very separate lives.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 19
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

July, 2016.

It never rains in L.A., least of all in July, but today – the day that Troy comes back – it’s pouring. Movies have taught Abed that rain is usually a bad sign. He tries not to think about it too much.

California rain is so rare that when it finally does happen, people lose their minds. Most annoyingly, they seem to forget how to drive, which is why Abed finds himself in bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-405. Cars move at a snail’s pace around him, all with their hazard lights on. 

He gets antsy as he nears the highway exit for LAX. He only budgeted about 30 minutes for the drive here, but with traffic it’s taken nearly an hour. Troy must be waiting.

To clarify, Troy isn’t really _coming back_ today. He’s been back from his sailing trip for about a week now. When his boat docked on the coast of Florida, he immediately got on a flight to Colorado. Troy apparently lost his old phone a while ago and didn’t have anyone’s contact information, so he showed up at Greendale completely unannounced. Jeff called everyone with the news, and Troy’s been staying with him for the week. 

Shockingly, Abed hasn’t even spoken to Troy yet. When he got the call from Jeff, he was coming off of a particularly tiring day at the studio and possibly the longest stretch of sleep deprivation he’s ever experienced, so he honestly thought he was hallucinating their conversation. He’s had countless dreams where Troy comes back from sailing – this was just another one of those.

But then he heard Troy’s voice in the background of the call. “Is that Abed?” 

Those three words made Abed drop his phone. They sounded too real to be a dream. Troy _never_ sounds so real in his dreams. 

Abed hadn’t known what to do, so he just picked up his phone and ended the call.

It was too sudden; he was overwhelmed. After Troy left two years ago, Abed spent months trying to overcome the surprising emptiness he felt - surprising because, while all their friends seemed certain that Troy and Abed were inseparable, Abed didn’t fully realize it himself until Troy was gone. With time, he taught himself to focus on other things, open up to new people, and create new sources of happiness in his life. That's been working well for him; he hasn't given himself an opportunity to consider Troy's possible return. 

Now the moment has come, and Abed is completely blindsided. 

A few minutes later, after a few confused texts from Jeff, Abed sent a message saying that the call accidentally cut out. Jeff brushed it off easily and, after advising Abed to switch his phone plan, told him that he was booking Troy a flight to LA.

Needless to say, this was all a lot to happen in the span of five minutes. Especially for Abed, who still has trouble adapting to sudden change. Sure, he’s been working on getting better at that, but this situation would be overwhelming for anyone. 

Luckily, Abed has had the past week to mentally prepare himself. He spent most of that week burying himself in work, spending 12-hour days in production. But Troy is always in the back of his mind. This week has made Abed feel like it’s 2014 again – a time when his thoughts were consumed with Troy, Troy, Troy, what’s Troy doing, what’s Troy eating, is Troy sleeping right now, is Troy thinking about him. He’s exhausted. He can't remember the last time he got a restful night of sleep.

Abed pulls into the Arrivals section of LAX and gets out of the car, holding his hand above his head in a feeble attempt to block the rain. Around him, under the harsh white garage-like lights of the airport, cars honk obnoxiously as people load their belongings and sidestep murky puddles. 

He really should have gotten Troy's new phone number from Jeff. That would have been the smart thing to do. He knows that Troy got a phone this week, and Jeff probably gave him Abed's contact information. He hasn't used it, though.

Fortunately, Abed does know Troy's flight number. He's about to venture into the airport to check on the arrival status when he notices Troy walking towards him.

He's about 100 feet away, and the rain is distorting Abed's vision, but it's definitely him. Abed recognizes his stature, his hair, the way his bodyweight shifts with each step. Abed simply stands and stares, watching these familiar movements for the first time in years. 

Troy has a beard. That's the first thing he notices. A short beard that fills his face and hides his boyish features, giving him a hardened exterior. But his outfit is reminiscent of his college days: blue jeans, sneakers, and a soft yellow crewneck sweatshirt, dotted with raindrops. 

Troy was grinning a moment ago, but now he stands a few feet in front of Abed, clutching a duffle bag and sporting a small, uncertain smile. Abed, caught off-guard despite knowing this moment would come, is too preoccupied with his thoughts to remember to smile. He just stares. And then it's just the two of them, standing there in the rain, eyeing each other.

Onlookers must have thought a fight was about to break out.

After a few moments, Abed remembers he needs to speak. With an unreadable face, he simply utters "Troy" in an even tone, nodding his head in a curt, formal greeting as if they’re colleagues. 

"Abed." Troy returns the gesture, chewing on his bottom lip – a nervous habit that Abed recognizes. 

Abed isn't quite sure how to act, and he can tell that Troy feels the same. Two years is a long time - too long to just fall back into their old rapport. 

He watches Troy shuffle his feet and adjust his grip on his bag and stare at Abed with such an expressive face – a face packed with every emotion Troy is feeling: concern, nostalgia, elation, longing. Abed has always appreciated how easily he can read Troy's facial features, and he's relieved to see this hasn't changed. He lets his shoulders drop and releases some tension that he was unconsciously carrying. 

Stepping forward, Abed slowly weaves his arms between Troy's and wraps them loosely around his torso. He nestles his head into Troy's shoulder, keeping his lips pressed against his sweater and his eyes trained on the concrete ground. He holds him so cautiously, leaving room for Troy to pull away. 

In one fluid motion, Troy drops his bag and clutches Abed tightly. 

Maybe everything will be different now. Maybe this isn’t the Troy that Abed remembers. But his hugs feel the same - one hand moving up and down Abed’s back, the other gripping the back of his neck, enveloping as much of Abed as possible and applying enough pressure to make him feel secure. So, for just a moment, Abed lets his thoughts dissipate, relaxes into Troy's touch, and closes his eyes. 

* * *

It stopped raining soon after they left the airport. They spend the car ride to Abed's apartment trading questions. Abed asks a question. Troy asks a question. Repeat.

"How long have you been in LA?"

"A little over a year. I moved here after school to work as a PA. When did you get back from your trip?"

"Last Saturday. We landed in Florida and LeVar bought me a ticket to Colorado. What's a PA?"

"A production assistant. I kind of do random tasks around the set and help out where I'm needed. What was the coolest country you went to?"

"Definitely Egypt. I never knew pyramids were so tall! You know those pictures of people touching the tops with their fingers? They stand super far away when they take those!" Troy shakes his head, disappointed. "I really wanted to touch them." He frowns, then continues. "What show are you working for?"

"I used to be a PA on a sitcom called _Life in Pieces_ , but now I'm a PA on this sci-fi show coming out soon called _Westworld_ \- it's all about androids and the cowboys and a simulated society, it's so cool. It's kind of like the dreamatorium, but as a TV show." Abed gets visibly excited when he talks about his job. His eyes light up, he sits up a bit straighter, the corners of his mouth quirk up as he thinks. He looks over and sees Troy grinning at him.

"Dude that sounds awesome! I can't wait to watch it."

Abed's about to suggest that they should watch the show together when it comes out, but he stops himself. He can't assume that Troy will still be here when that happens. He doesn't even know how long Troy is staying, where he's going to live, what he's going to do. Troy could very well go on another trip or move across the country, leaving Abed to recover from this feeling of loss all over again. 

Among the many lessons that Abed has learned in the last few years, an important one is to never get too comfortable; never to expect that anything in your life is certain or unchangeable. Just like TV, life has plot twists, sudden changes, losses. Pierce dying, Troy leaving, Troy coming back - all unexpected and consequential. So, to avoid feeling so empty again, Abed knows that he needs to be ready for Troy to leave at any moment. He can't get attached; it's not worth it.

They spend the rest of the car ride continuing their questions and answers, opening small windows into each others' now very separate lives.


	2. Chapter 2

When Troy first steps into Abed's apartment, he's convinced he's in the wrong place. 

Their old apartment in Greendale was filled with Abed’s things: movie posters, stacks of DVDs, framed photographs of the two of them - hell, it even had a dreamatorium. It was a manifestation of Abed's personality.

This place feels like it could belong to anyone. It’s a studio apartment, so everything is essentially in one room, and all the walls are white and bare. His bed, unmade with faded green sheets, is centered along the back wall, just behind his main living area. There are no DVDs or pictures; just a rug, a worn leather couch, a coffee table, and a TV - the same one they had bought together for their old apartment.

“Where’s all your stuff? Your decorations and movies and things?” Troy drops his duffel bag onto the floor and slips off his shoes, looking around with his lips parted and his forehead wrinkled in confusion. 

"This is it. I sold a lot of my collectibles and comic books to make some extra money. But I still have all the posters and DVDs from our old place, I just haven’t gotten a chance to set them up. I spend most of my time working, I really only come here to eat and sleep.” 

“Damn. You work a lot.”

Abed shrugs and moves past him into his small kitchen space. “Yeah, but I’m used to it by now. Plus, I really like my job and I have friends there, so I don’t mind."

Troy sits on a barstool at Abed's kitchen counter, watching him rifle through the fridge and take stock of what he has. He tries to imagine Abed at work, making small-talk on set with his coworkers, sharing inside jokes with his friends at lunch. Maybe he has a set group of people that he eats with - one that he's closer to than their old study group. 

It's something that he hadn't considered before. When Troy had imagined coming back home, he kind of expected everything to be the same. Abed and Annie would be living in their apartment, Jeff and Britta and Shirley would be working nearby. They would regularly meet somewhere off campus, maybe at a bar or a coffee shop, sitting at a table with six chairs and always leaving an empty spot for Troy to eventually slip back in, as if he never left. As if time never passed.

He feels stupid. Of course that didn't happen. From Troy's perspective, over the last two years, time stood still. He woke up every morning on a boat in the middle of nowhere with only LeVar Burton to talk to. It was easy to lose his tether to reality. He forgot that, while he was fantasizing about returning to his friends, they were moving on. Shirley's remarried in Atlanta, Britta has a life in New York, Annie's made a ton of friends in DC. And Abed's here in Los Angeles, with friends from work who probably understand his pop culture references better than Troy ever could.

Troy thinks, _maybe Abed has an especially good friend_. Someone he waits to watch new movies with. Someone he shares ideas and scripts with. Someone he immediately calls when he has good news. Someone he has sleepovers with, and late-night conversations in the dark about things that are too scary to say in daylight. 

_Maybe Abed has a new best friend_.

Abed's facing away from him and mumbling something about dinner, and Troy is desperately trying to will away the dull ache that has settled in his stomach. The kind of anxious feeling that he used to have on the first day of middle school, when he would walk into class and find that his friends had become different people over the summer - people who didn't care about Troy - leaving him lonely and lost and so scared for the year to come.

He tries swallowing down the lump in his throat before any pathetic tears start forming. Fuck. 

"Troy?"

Abed's staring at him, his head tilted to the side and his eyes glinting with either confusion or concern - Troy has trouble telling the difference. 

He's giving Abed his most convincing poker face, and he doesn't want to risk speaking in case his voice cracks and the crying starts. What would he say, if he bursts into tears and Abed asks why? _I'm sad that you have new friends and a new life, even though I left you for two years_. That's dumb. That's selfish.

So he pinches his wrist hard under the counter, hoping the sharp pain will distract his brain long enough to hold off tears, and responds with, "Hm?"

Abed blinks a few times, looking at him with the same, impassive face. "Did you hear me? I asked if you want to order pizza and watch reruns of _Inspector Spacetime_. " 

Oh.

For some reason, that makes Troy want to cry even more.

Maybe Abed can see right through him - can see how irrationally upset and shocked he is by everyone rightfully living their lives without him. Maybe Abed pities him and is trying to make him feel better with pizza and _Inspector Spacetime_ and a reminder of their old life. 

Or maybe Troy is jumping to conclusions and getting way too panicked about everything. He has a tendency to do that. His mind clings to the worst-case scenario and he has trouble staying grounded to the truth. LeVar would often remind him to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out.

Troy still feels an intense pressure in his forehead and his throat, but he’s confident that he can hold it together. He's overreacting - Abed's his friend. Even if Abed has newer, better friends, _he's still Troy's best friend_. Troy's been waiting for this moment for years; he deserves to have a good time with his favorite person.

He manages a small smile. "Yeah, sounds good. I'm just going to wash my face; I feel kind of gross from the plane. Why don't you order the pizza?"

Abed points his fingers at Troy. “Supreme, no mushrooms, extra sauce?"

His smile gets bigger.

***

It's nearly midnight and Troy is in a much better state of mind. After eating half of a pizza and downing two beers, his stomach is full and he's blissfully buzzed. Turns out, being tired and hungry can really destroy your mood.

The lights are off in Abed's apartment, and the end credits for an episode of _Inspector Spacetime_ are shining brightly on the television. The two of them are sprawled out on the floor, resting their backs against the couch and balancing the pizza box on their laps. 

Conversation has been coming easily all night. No matter how much time has passed, they can always connect over _Inspector Spacetime_. They debate the best episodes, gush over the plot lines, recall memories from their first time watching the show together. If Troy closes his eyes, it's like any other night from years ago in their blanket fort. 

"Another?" He asks Abed, reaching for the TV remote to queue the next episode. After hearing no response, he turns and sees Abed fast asleep, his head lolled back onto the couch. Troy's not surprised; when he met Abed at the airport this afternoon, the first thing he noticed were the heavy bags under his eyes. It's clear that he hasn't been sleeping well, probably because of his work schedule.

Troy carefully lifts the pizza box from their laps and stands up. After quietly cleaning up their trash and shutting off the TV, he turns to Abed, unsure of what to do next. In the past, when Abed would fall asleep during their movie nights, Troy would carry him to bed without hesitation. Would that be strange to do now? Are there new boundaries that Troy shouldn't cross?

“Abed,” Troy whispers, “are you awake?”

Abed doesn’t stir.

“I’m going to carry you, is that cool?”

No response. 

He figures he should just go for it. Abed's a deep sleeper, and he'll get a cramp if he stays in this uncomfortable, seated position all night. Troy awkwardly squats beside him and shoves one arm beneath his bent knees and another under his back. He stands with Abed curled into his chest, his head resting on Troy's shoulder.

Troy spent a lot of time on the boat weightlifting with LeVar, and he’s pleased to find that he’s able to lift Abed much more easily than ever before. LeVar would be proud of his gains.

Troy makes a mental note to call LeVar sometime soon. It's been strange not seeing him this week; Troy's so accustomed to always having him around. With his own Dad pretty much out of the picture, LeVar became a father-like figure to Troy, always listening to his thoughts and doling out life advice. While they won't see each other as often anymore, Troy feels comfort in knowing that they'll always be bonded by their shared experience. 

In his sleep, Abed lets out a small grunt as Troy tightens his grip. Looking down, he sees Abed's mouth slightly ajar, letting out small, hot breaths onto Troy's neck. Their faces are so close that, even in the dark, Troy notices his eyes moving beneath his eyelids, clearly dreaming about something. He bets Abed only dreams about cool things, like explosions or time travel or murder mysteries.

Troy has had a lot of dreams about Abed, especially in the last few months. The dreams are fairly uneventful: they’re in the study room and Abed’s doing character impersonations, or they’re in their blanket fort talking about _Kickpuncher_ , or sometimes they’re walking down the sidewalk, holding hands and swinging them wildly back and forth. He had one confusing dream where Abed touched his thigh, and he woke up feeling new levels of discomfort. LeVar told him that all his dreams were probably happening because Troy was excited to see his friends again. Troy knew that it was because Abed was all he thought about, all day and all night. 

Troy walks over to Abed's bed and carefully lays him down, adjusting the sheets around him. He briefly considers pulling off Abed's jeans for him, but quickly decides against it - that definitely seems like something he can't do anymore. 

After brushing his teeth and pulling on some pajama pants, Troy settles onto the couch for the night, stealing the second pillow off of Abed's bed and grabbing a spare blanket from his closet. As he slowly falls asleep to the sound of Abed's light snoring, he recalls how effortless their friendship used to be. In the past, Troy would've climbed into bed next to him without any hesitation. And he would've latched onto Abed's arm during that jump-scare in the episode of _Inspector Spacetime_ they watched. And he would've voiced the heartfelt thoughts that popped into his head tonight; thoughts like _I've been waiting for this moment for years_ , and _you're my favorite person in the whole world_ , and _let's do this forever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the kind comments on my first chapter. I'm trying to practice my writing and the feedback is really encouraging <3

**Author's Note:**

> I appreciate any comments/critiques! thank you for reading


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